One in ten young people bullied online in the Netherlands

In 2012 over 10 percent of the 15 to 18 year-olds in the Netherlands were bullied online. Slander and malicious gossip are most common, followed by stalking, threat and blackmail. Most victims do not report this to the police or other authorities according to recent figures released by Statistics Netherlands.

In 2012 about 3 percent of the Dutch population aged over 15 reported that they had been bullied online at some point. This comes down to an estimated 400 thousand people. Young people are confronted with cyber bullying far more often than older people. Some 10 percent of the 15 to 18 year-olds experienced online bullying in 2012 versus less than 1 percent of people over 65. Young people use the internet more and they are more active in the social media, which often serves as the platform for bullying. Almost all 15 to 18 year-olds use the social media, while nearly one in six people aged over 65 do.

Slander is the most common kind of cyber bullying among young people. These involve placing offensive texts on internet forums or profile sites, or placing pictures, film or gossip on the web. Over 4 percent of the 15 to 18 year-olds claimed to be confronted by this in 2012. Second most common were online stalking, threats of violence and blackmail.

Most victims do not report cyber bullying

Fewer than one in ten young people confronted with cyber bullying reports this to the police or other authority. So most victims remain unknown by the authorities and unregistered. Victims of cyber bullying aged over 25 report it more often than younger people.